In the latest chapter of College Football Can’t Get Right, Appalachian State University notified students and staff that it’s detected a cluster of COVID-19 cases inside of its football program.
For now, that cluster remains at 11 total people: seven students and four staff members.
Ethan Joyce of the Winston-Salem Journal was the first to report the news.
Appalachian State University says in an email to students, faculty and staff that it has identified a COVID -19 cluster associated with the football team.
11 total: seven students and four staffers.
App State AD Doug Gillin has suspended football practice until further notice.
— Ethan Joyce (@ByEthanJoyce) August 19, 2020
This is of interest to a couple of ACC programs, too. While App State and Wake Forest decided to postpone their 2020 matchup — while also adding future games — the Mountaineers are supposed to start their 2020 season against Charlotte (Sept. 12).
The following week, however, Charlotte is scheduled to travel north for a matchup with North Carolina on Sept. 19. Duke is also scheduled to play Charlotte: Oct. 31 in Durham.
This points to just some of the major complexities that come with an attempt to play a college football season — which includes travel and non-conference opponents — amidst a global pandemic. The game is a month from now, but North Carolina, which experienced its own COVID cluster earlier this summer, is just one team — and one week — removed from a program that’s had nearly a dozen participants test positive for the coronavirus.
People inside the North Carolina program can only control what they’re allowed to control; these days, that doesn’t feel like much. However, add it to the list: this is another item that UNC football must keep an eye on.